In the field of packaging sliced comestible products such as meat, luncheon meat, and cheese using high speed packaging and slicing equipment, it is highly desirable to transfer the sliced product quickly from the slicer to the packaging machine, in an effort to avoid contamination of the product. Generally speaking, modern packaging machines run continuously at high speed, whereas slicing machines, although swift, have inherently erratic outputs. This is due to the fact that the comestible product being sliced often comprises a loaf or large piece of meat, and there is an hiatus in the output between the end of one piece and the commencement of slicing of a subsequent piece. Also, the sliced product is generally placed in stacks each of uniform number of slices, each stack being weight checked. Those stacks which do not meet the weight tolerances are removed from the packaging line. Thus the slicer loading and the stack weight check cause the ultimate slicer output rate to vary considerably.
A serious shortcoming in the prior art is that there is no satisfactory means for matching the erratic slicer output to the constant demand of the packaging machine. The stacks of sliced comestible product are extremely fragile, and cannot undergo many handling operations without destroying the integrity of the stack, as well as the appearance of the product. The use of conveyor belts has been attempted, but detaining a stack on a moving conveyor belt causes the destruction of the bottom slice of comestible. Conveyors comprising rollers have been tried, but the rollers accumulate product fragments and fat which interfere with the rollers and cause unsanitary conditions.
In the actual packaging of the stacks of sliced product, vacuum formed plastic packages are often employed. The container is pre-formed, filled with the stack, and sealed. Since the packages are dimensioned to fit the stack very closely, there is no room for an individual to manually place the stack in the container. Furthermore, accidental contamination of the open end of the container with grease from the hands of the person loading may prevent the securance of a good vacuum seal on the container, allowing the comestible product to spoil. Thus the person loading must be not only quick, but also accurate and clean.